The present invention relates to solar energy collecting structures in general and more particularly to a solar energy collecting panel, which may be mounted singly or severally on a vertical or slanted position for converting solar energy to heat for heating air circulating in an enclosure disposed behind the panel or panels.
Solar heating systems are rapidly becoming a practical and effective energy source for space heating of buildings, or for other useful applications requiring a heat source. Solar heat collecting panels are generally installed on the roofs of buildings, or on a slant, such as to present as large an area exposed to sun rays as possible, and such as to present direct exposure to sun rays. Roof installation of solar energy absorbing panels present many inconveniences in northern regions where the advantages resulting from capturing free solar energy is most desirable, as snow covering the panels must be either removed or allowed to melt prior to benefiting from the advantages provided by the system.
Vertical mounting of solar energy collecting panels on an exterior wall of a building is more convenient than roof or slant mounting as greatly facilitating installation, maintenance, and cleaning of the panel exterior surfaces at infrequent interval, and as preventing snow accumulation. The solar energy collecting and absorbing panels of the invention present particular advantages for wall mount, as a result of the particular structure of the individual panels which provides an area of sun ray absorbing surface substantially larger than the over-all area of the individual panels, and as a result of a modular structure permitting to custom-fit installations by assemblying a plurality of individual panels over a common air box or enclosure covering the available surface area of, for example, the vertical wall of a building.